How Many Is Too Many?
by istytehcrawk
Summary: Blaine's been the nurturing type since childhood, and it leads to an announcement that takes Kurt by surprise. (Inspired by a tweet from the official Kurt Hummel account that said "Why does Blaine keep texting me about the Duggar family and how it was so great that they got hitched so early?")


It starts when Blaine is just four years old. Cooper, flying high after being made goalie on his soccer team, is trying his hardest to teach Blaine the basics of the game in their spacious back yard, with limited success. An errant kick by Blaine sends the ball into their mother's prized hydrangea bushes by the garage, and Cooper chases after it, but on his way he notices movement where there should be none and goes to investigate. Just moments later, he calls out. "Blainey! Come here! You've got to see this!"

Blaine runs over and peers behind the bushes, eyes following Cooper's finger, which is pointing at a small hole in the ground, stuffed with what at first glance appears to be a ball of fuzz. Unsure about why that would be so exciting, he falls to his knees to get a closer look and realizes what it really is: a nest with five baby rabbits huddled together, each no more than a few inches long. Jaw dropped and eyes wide, he turns toward Cooper. "Can we KEEP them?"

This behavior becomes a trend that continues throughout his childhood and into his teenage years. Every time Blaine finds out about a litter of kittens or puppies or rabbits, or even a robin's egg in a nest, his immediate reaction is to take it home and care for it. A few times, he manages to convince his parents it's a good idea, but mostly his pleas fall on deaf ears or are met with a stern, "Blaine, we already have three dogs and a cat. You don't need another pet."

When he joins the Warblers and is handed a canary in a cage, it's a dream come true, because even though Pavarotti isn't technically his, he fills the animal-shaped void that's been in Blaine's heart since he started boarding at Dalton, where pets of all kinds are prohibited. (Thanks to his position as the Warblers mascot, Pavarotti is blessedly unaffected by that rule.)

Sometime around when he meets Kurt – it might be a coincidence, but later he thinks back and figures it probably isn't – the urge to nurture morphs and expands, branching out from baby animals to actual babies. For the first time, he finds himself considering a career teaching elementary school instead of performing, and he spends far more time than he's willing to admit watching videos of little kids on YouTube. Kurt catches him from time to time and always has the same response – an upward quirk of his lips paired with a minute side-to-side shake of his head. Blaine's pretty sure Kurt just doesn't _get_ it yet, but he's confident Kurt will get there eventually. In the meantime, he takes to babysitting for his numerous cousins to quell the urge to have his own children. He knows he's not ready yet, not even close, but still he wants. Oh _boy_ does he want.

The summer before his senior year, he and Kurt are flipping through the channels one lazy Saturday afternoon, and Kurt stops on TLC, where an episode of _19 Kids and Counting_ is airing. The show has long been a guilty pleasure for Blaine because, as much as he disagrees with the religious aspects of the Duggars' lifestyle, he finds their family oddly inspiring. He's only recently figured out the root of that inspiration, and it slips out of him without warning as they watch Jinger playing with Jackson and Johannah onscreen. "I wouldn't mind having that many kids."

Kurt sits straight up, nearly choking on his soda. "_What?!_"

Blaine shrugs and repeats himself. "I like the idea of a big family like that. I know their religion has a whole lot to do with why they have so many-"

"And their biology makes it possible."

"Yeah, that. But...I...I know it's a long way off before I'll be ready for kids, but I know I want them, and definitely not just one."

Kurt chuckled. "I was _so_ not expecting to have this conversation today."

"Yeah, me either, but...now you know how I feel. What about you? Do you want kids?" He tries not to show it, but he's sure Kurt can sense that this question is actually important to Blaine, and it is actually something that could pose an issue if they don't see eye to eye. They may be young, but as sure as Blaine is about wanting kids, he's even more sure about wanting them with Kurt by his side. If Kurt doesn't share that vision of their future...well, he doesn't even want to think about that.

"Honestly, I've never really thought about it. I guess it's one of those things I figured I'd decide once it came up."

"So...?"

Kurt sinks back into the couch and closes his eyes. Blaine can almost see the wheels turning in Kurt's brain, and he closes his eyes as he tries to picture what Kurt might be imagining. Flashes of a gaggle of little girls – for some reason, Blaine always pictures three little girls, close in age, first when he daydreams about the future – run through his mind, and he can't help but smile. He's torn from his reverie when Kurt speaks again a few moments later, more softly this time.

"I think...yeah. I don't know how many – not as many as the Duggars, _god_, Blaine, can you imagine _me_ with that many kids? – but...yeah. Kids."

Blaine can't stop the urge when he has it, and he leans in to Kurt in a rush, kissing him for all he's worth – and he's worth a hell of a lot to Blaine. As he pulls away, he whispers in Kurt's ear, "Want to get started?"

"I don't think it works-"

"I know."

"Okay."

They decide three is ideal.

They adopt two-year-old Maura four years after their wedding. A year later, they use Blaine's sperm and Rachel as a surrogate and end up with Henry. Three years later, it's Kurt's turn, this time using a former NYADA classmate, and they are blessed with Amelia.

Once the kids are out on their own, Blaine turns his still-irresistible puppy dog eyes on Kurt, and they end up fostering a set of six-year-old twins, Lucy and Thomas.

Turns out five is the magic number.


End file.
